UK babies with a specific mix of gut bacteria have a lower risk of being hospitalised for viral lower respiratory tract infection in the first two years of life.
A baby’s makeup of gut bacteria — their microbiome — which starts to form as soon as they are born, could help protect against viral infections later in childhood, a new study suggests.
As part of the largest study of UK baby microbiomes to date, researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and University College London (UCL) found that babies with a specific mix of gut bacteria at one week old, which was only found in some babies born vaginally, were less likely to be hospitalised for viral lower respiratory tract infections (vLRTI) in the first two years of life.
This research, published today (4 June) in The Lancet Microbe, is the first study to show an association between the makeup of the gut microbiome in the first week of life and hospital admissions for respiratory infections in early childhood. The team did this using whole genome sequencing and analysis of stool samples from 1,082 newborns and then using their electronic health records to track admissions to hospital up to the age of two years old.
Building on previous findings from the UK Baby Biome Study1, this new research suggests that certain microbiome compositions could give different benefits, such as protection against viral infections….
Credit: Wellcome Sanger Institute Communications Team